Greetings,
There is a famous quote by a writer named Walter Lippmann that states, "There can be no higher law in journalism than to tell the truth and to shame the devil". I have heard this quote, and I agree with it. However, years ago, a young man named Stephen Glass either never heard this quote or heard it and said "Whatever!"
In case you're not familiar with this story, Stephen Glass was a young journalist who wrote for The New Republic in the late nineties. He was one of their stars, due to the excitement and nuance of all of his writing. It seemed to many almost too good to be true that all these stories just managed to fall into his lap. Turns out, it didn't just seem that way; it was that way. Stephen Glass had fabricated facts in the majority of his stories, and some stories were completely made up in his own head. It caused a huge scandal, so much so, that in 2003 a movie was based on it called Shattered Glass. And it is a movie that I love!
If you haven't seen it or even heard of it, I can understand. A lot of people haven't. It was basically a low budget, indie film that got a very, very limited release. I mean, box office-wise it didn't even hit three million bucks. However, it was extremely, highly acclaimed by critics, and everyone who has seen it subsequently seems to love it as well.
As I said, this film is centered around the scandal itself, but it goes beyond just what we may have read about or heard about and deals on a deeper, more human level. It more explores Stephen Glass and his relationships with others than the actual scandal, although that is obviously the core of the story. It takes us through his days at The New Republic as he enjoys his rise as a well-respected writer, not only at that magazine, but at several others. And, of course, it documents his downfall and the aftermath of it. That is the basic plot. I know that it may not sound that exciting on the surface, but it is carried out so excellently, and it does not disappoint. Now, though, I believe that both the script and direction of the movie are superb, I have to lay most of the success of it with the incredible cast.
The main character of Stephen Glass is portrayed by Hayden Christensen. Yeah, he was Darth Vader. I am giving you one second to think out that and then forget it, so I can move on. Ready? Okay. He actually gives a stellar performance, his best, if you ask me, but he is merely the first in a long line of actors' best performances here. We get fantastic work from Steve Zahn, Melanie Lynskey, Rosario Dawson, Chloe Sevigny and, in a rare dramatic role, Hank Azaria. But the one who blew me away completely was Peter Sarsgaard. He played Stephen Glass's boss, Chuck Lane, and he was perfect. There's just no other word for it. He played this part with a quiet intensity, and it made it all the more real. He never went over the top unless it was absolutely necessary, and it was a few times, but he had these little subtleties with his acting that made it incredibly true to life. In this performance, Peter Sarsgaard proves that the best acting isn't acting; it is simply being.
And may I say one more thing concerning the creativity of this movie. That would be a shout out to the title. Obviously, the term "shattered glass" doesn't seem that creative, but factor in that his name was Glass and the movie is about his own shattering, and it gets better. The real genius is the fact that this title is reminiscent of the titles that Stephen Glass would give his articles. He used a lot of wordplay that made them stand out. So, really, what else could the title here be?
Now I am obviously recommending this movie to everyone who likes great movies, but this would certainly appeal more to someone completely intrigued by films like All the President's Men. You may think I am stepping out of bounds by comparing this film to that Hoffman/Redford classic. After all, I am but a lowly non-paid, blogger/reviewer. It's not like I'm Roger Ebert or something. Oh, but wait. Roger Ebert did say that about Shattered Glass. He said it deserved to be compared to All the President's Men among movies about journalism. You wanna argue with Roger Ebert, legendary reviewer? Go right ahead. Actually, speaking of Robert Redford, I also liken this to one of the films he directed, Quiz Show, It's another movie that is severely under-appreciated and also has a story that, on the surface, may not seem all that intriguing, but it is so perfectly executed, it must be seen.
In all seriousness though, Shattered Glass truly is a great movie. It's one of those films that proves you do not need a massive budget or explosions to make a movie good. All you need are the basics; good script, good direction, good acting. It has these things to the tenth power and then some. Now it may not be suitable for "blockbuster" night, but if you like a real story, a real movie that is just plain good, it should be put on your must see list.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
